It all starts with a drawing.

Think of the Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, or Mátyás templom and the Parliament in Budapest, both of which host windows made by József Perlaki.

These magnificent works of art start with just a sheet of paper.

Here is how they’re made.

It could be a clerestory worthy of a cathedral, or a small piece of art designed to be hung by your sitting room window.

Either way, stained glass art stars with a sketch.

The artist will draw the entire piece as it will be once complete.

Then, once you have achieved that helicopter view, it is time to scale up.

This is where the real dimensions of a church window become very tangible.

Because this is the moment when the artist will have to draw the window precisely as it will be in a little while.

It might sound counter-intuitive, but as soon as the life-size drawing is done… it’s time to cut it into pieces. A stained-glass window is like a puzzle made of glass, and the key to this vertical maze is the drawing. Cut and numbered, each scrap of paper corresponds to a piece of glass, carefully shaped with pliers and lots of care.